Having grown up in the ski industry in Quebec, Anik has always been a passionate skier. Through the ski industry she was able to take on many exciting professional opportunities, most formidably working as the head of the Whistler Blackcomb Brand Marketing department for over a decade. With a BComm in Strategic Management and Sustainable Development, she has always been driven to create purposeful campaigns and movements using the brand voice for good. Joining POW as the Programs & Marketing Director is truly a dream come true with being able to use her skills and experience to advance climate policy. As a mom of 2 young boys, it is important to her to give them a good example of merging purpose with work and play. She resides in Whistler, BC.

[email protected]

From competing internationally in freestyle snowboarding to working in marketing for small and big outdoor brands, Anne-Fred has always had sustainability in mind. With years of experience under her belt, she is now dedicated to using her skills and expertise for meaningful work. With her deep connection to nature and her unwavering commitment to protecting it, Anne-Fred is always keen for an adventure. Whether it's touring up the mountains of British Columbia, exploring single tracks on her mountain bike, or catching some mellow waves on the Coast.

[email protected]

Arianne is an outdoor enthusiast and a people person. She specializes in marketing and communication with her experience in advertising agencies and the outdoor industry. Deeply concerned about the planet and convinced that the climate crisis can be reversed with people working together, she has been a sustainability advocate for years. Her experience working in the outdoor industry allowed her to influence her team and partners to make a difference on a larger scale through meaningful campaigns and initiatives. She decided to become a vector of change by combining her passion for the environment and her knowledge and experience in marketing to the benefit of POW Canada as the Strategic Partnerships Director.

[email protected]

Dave is a father, husband and outdoor enthusiast with experience in the business and charitable sectors in Canada. He’s passionate about skiing, environmental stewardship and seeing POW Canada grow to have significant impact on climate policy in Canada.

[email protected]

Nat Knowles is a climate scientist, wilderness conservationist, and outdoor athlete. Her research focuses on mitigating climate change, managing its inevitable impacts, and using outdoor recreation and tourism for sustainable socio-economic development. She completed a Master of Science on these topics at the University of Oxford and is now a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo. While currently an avid backcountry adventurer, as a former alpine ski racer she won two NCAA National Championships with the University of Denver, and represented Canada at the World Junior Championships and the World University Games.

[email protected]

Eric moved from Sweden to Canada when he was four and quickly fell in love with the outdoors. Growing up with mountains, lakes, and forests all around, nature became his playground. Wanting to help keep that experience alive for future generations, he joined POW Canada to work on something meaningful.

[email protected] 

Jen Girardi is a storyteller, producer and connector who has spent her career building bridges between athletes, brands and communities in the mountains she calls home. She has extensive experience in helping bring to life campaigns and events that celebrate mountain culture while amplifying voices driving environmental and social impact.

Deeply rooted in the Sea to Sky community, Jen believes that sport and storytelling can inspire action far beyond the mountains. Through her work with Protect Our Winters Canada, she focuses on creating events, growing advocacy and supporting a community of volunteers to protect the places that shape who we are for current and future generations.

[email protected] 

Steph grew up finding fulfillment and inspiration from spending time outdoors across BC. As she got older, she realized she could combine passion and purpose to give back to the places she loves. Steph is grateful for this path to continue at POW Canada; supporting grassroots advocacy movements keeps her motivated through the power of community-led action, where everyone can play a valuable role to ignite change and build a better world for all. Outside of work, she’s exploring the beautiful landscapes of Vancouver Island, from oceanside to mountaintop.

[email protected]

Co-CEO at Altitude Sports & The Last Hunt. I am a philosophy student who grew up in and with an outdoor store. I am a father of 2 and enjoy spending my time outside mostly hiking, running and skiing.

LinkedIn

Based in Montreal, Audrey is the President and CEO of Aragain Management, a single-family office. A member of the Quebec Bar, Audrey practiced law for over a decade in various national law firms such as Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and Woods LLP. She is also an advisor to a grant-making charitable foundation focusing on education, the environment and healthcare.

While her professional focus is on management, investments, finance and governance, she has always felt a strong pull toward the outdoors. She is thrilled to bring her expertise and passion to support POW’s mission. A bit of an adrenaline junkie, Audrey is always up for a splitboarding, skiing, or mountain biking adventure.

LinkedIn

Chris is CFO of Arc’teryx, a technical apparel brand focused on designing pinnacle outdoor products for the mountain athlete.  Chris has held senior finance roles at various consumer retailers including Bailey Nelson and lululemon.  Earlier in his career, he worked at Intrawest, the former owner of Whistler Blackcomb.  Born in Vancouver, Chris is a graduate from UBC and a Chartered Professional Accountant.  Chris enjoys playing ice hockey and getting into nature with his dog and 3 sons.

LinkedIn

Mike Douglas has been called one of the ten most influential freeskiers of all time. He, along with the members of the New Canadian Air Force, pioneered modern freestyle skiing and developed the first high-performance twin tip ski with Salomon back in 1997. Since then, Mike has won dozens of awards for his skiing and more recently, added award-winning filmmaker to his resume. His company, Switchback Entertainment, produces documentary adventure films and the web series Salomon TV.

Mike has spent most of his life training for skiing on the Horstman Glacier in Whistler, British Columbia. Over the years, he started to notice the glacier shrinking and changing. He noticed that not only was it changing, but the change seemed to be accelerating. Around the same time, there was more and more talk about global warming and climate change. Mike realized it was happening right before his eyes. Since then, he has been a major advocate for climate action, highlighting the importance of using our collective voice to make a difference.

I began my career in Computer Science as an open-source developer and researcher. I then founded Tasktop, a Vancouver-based company specializing in software development tools, and served as CEO until its acquisition by Planview, where I currently serve as Chief Technology Officer. I have spent the past two years building AI agents and am interested in applying what I have learned to the climate movement. I live in Vancouver and spend most weekends skiing and biking with friends and family in Whistler.

Mik is a Canadian computer specialist who is the Chief Technology Officer for Planview. He is the author of Project to Product: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Digital Disruption with the Flow Framework,[1] a business management book that outlines “a new way of seeing, measuring, and managing software delivery.”

LinkedIn

As one of mountain sport industry’s leading marketing strategists and co-owner of Origin Design & Communications, M-J Legault is the driving force behind several mountain sports and destination marketing campaigns. Legault holds a degree in Marketing from Concordia University and has worked in ad agencies based in B-C, Colorado and Vermont, never straying far from the mountains that inspire her. Legault has worked with brands such as Salomon, TNF, Jay Peak Resort, Taos Ski Valley, Lululemon and Whistler Blackcomb. After a stint at Origin’s Whistler office, Legault saw the potential for expanding the Origin brand and, in 2002, she piloted her motorcycle east and opened an office in Montreal, where she now lives. MJ is a frequent speaker at conferences for The National Ski Areas Association, Mountain Travel Symposium, The National Parks and Recreation Association and the Outdoor Industry Association.

Reuben Krabbe is an ski and adventure photographer from Squamish BC, he works throughout British Columbia creating images that encapsulate the beauty and ambition of life spent outside.

In 2016, Reuben had a major personal realization of the depth of climate change impact, and became an ambassador with Protect our Winters before becoming a board member in 2023. He is a graduate of Cambridge’s Business Sustainability Management course, and blends his creativity with nerdy deep dives into depolarized communications and behavioral economics. 

LinkedIn

http://www.reubenkrabbe.com/

Sabre Pictou Lee is Mi’kmaq from Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. Sabre is an experienced Indigenous liaison and researcher and the CEO and Co-Founder of Archipel Research and Consulting. With her facilitation and mediation expertise Sabre works to build bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations. Sabre is also an avid outdoor enthusiast and athlete who works to honor land stewardship. She currently lives in her home territory of Mi’gma’gi with her partner and their pooch, Moose.

LinkedIn

Toby is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Corporate Knights. He spearheaded the first global ranking of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations in 2005, and in 2007 coined the term “clean capitalism.” He sits on the Sustainability Accounting Standards Advisory Board and the University of Toronto’s Environment and Finance Committee. Toby has been published in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and the Globe and Mail, and is a regular guest speaker on CBC. Toby loves climbing glaciers to ski down, skating on frozen lakes and canals, kayaking, biking, climbing, hiking and blading. Cold plunges too. 

LinkedIn

Brady is a long time Whistler local. Father of two, an avid skier, fisher, and traveler. As Chief Strategy Officer, Brady supports Indigenous Tourism Canada and other organizations with policy and strategy, supporting economic advancements to Indigenous community. 

LinkedIn

Ed Whittingham is a passionate public policy professional working in climate and energy policy, cleantech finance and carbon removal. He has served as the CEO of the Pembina Institute, a director of the Alberta Energy Regulator, and a member of the World Economic Forum's global agenda council. Currently Ed is a Public Policy Forum Fellow, a Stripe Climate Fellow, host of Canada’s most popular climate-themed podcast, Energy vs Climate, and a new podcast series on carbon removal called Scrubbing the Sky. He is also passionate about Canada's wild spaces and has explored its corners through hiking, paddling, skiing, birding and hunting. 

LinkedIn

Ian is a seasoned executive and strategy consultant with 25+ years of experience in environmental, energy, and climate solutions. Formerly the acting and deputy executive director of the David Suzuki Foundation, he has influenced national and provincial climate policy and advised governments, including serving on B.C.’s Climate Solutions Council and Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team.

A passionate backcountry skier, Ian transitioned to sustainability in the early 2000s, founding the Alpine Club of Canada’s Melting Mountains Awareness Program to highlight climate change’s impact on winter sports. He lives in Squamish with his family, exploring B.C.'s backcountry.

LinkedIn

Julia Kilpatrick is the Vice President, External Affairs at the Canadian Climate Institute and has spent most of her career working to advance evidence-based climate and energy policy. She lives in the Alberta rockies and enjoys downhill and cross-country skiing, cycling, yoga and all types of paddling.

LinkedIn

Karen is a nature-lover, outdoor enthusiast, and a climate policy nerd. Following a career in wilderness and forest conservation, she has spent the last decade immersed in climate and energy policy research and advocacy. Karen is thrilled to find an outlet for her passions at The Houssian Foundation as the Director of the foundation's nature and climate program. Karen seeks reprieve from the computer and meeting rooms in the mountains on skis, on the end of a rope rock climbing, cycling the roads, and in the ocean on her surfboard.

LinkedIn

Have spent the last 30 years working on climate and energy policy in the non-profit sector, the private sector, and most recently politically as the former Chief of Staff to two federal Ministers of Environment and Climate Change. Spent far too much time studying engineering, but managed to get a PhD out of the deal. Live in Canmore, have two kids and get out split-boarding, snowboarding, hiking and rafting as much as possible.

LinkedIn

Resident of Fernie, BC, which is located in Ktunaxa Territory in the Rocky Mountains. Relatively new CEO for the charitable non-profit Community Energy Association - an organization I've been with for about 15 years. We help local governments and Indigenous communities plan and implement climate and energy projects. I grew up nordic skiing and now enjoy taking chairlifts to access excellent skiing! I have a passion for wild spaces and outdoor experiences, and get to support my husband as co-owner of a guiding business on the Athabasca Glacier. 

LinkedIn

Montana Burgess (she/they) is the executive director at Neighbours United and has worked internationally, nationally, provincial and locally in the environmental movement for 18 years. Under her leadership, Neighbours United has used deep canvassing, community organizing and strategic communications to win clean energy and nature campaigns. They have also trained organizations in Alberta and the US to use deep canvassing to help conflicted people become clean energy supporters. Her grassroots campaign strategy and small, rural and suburban organizing lenses are what she is bringing to the POW retreat. Montana lives in Rossland, BC on Sinixt land and enjoys skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, canoeing, and hiking for recreation.

LinkedIn